Gemma Ungoed-Thomas is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London, focusing on hybrid warfare, state threats and the strategic implications of emerging technologies for national security and democratic resilience. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy & Security, where her work centres on cyber resilience and systemic risk.

She brings extensive experience from senior roles in the UK government, most recently serving for over four years as Director for State Threats, Cyber and Technology in the Cabinet Office. In this role, she led national strategy at the intersection of security, technology and resilience, helping to shape the UK’s £2 billion National Cyber Strategy and developing the UK’s first Counter State Threats Strategy. She also oversaw the Integrated Security Fund, managing a c.£160 million portfolio focused on cyber, technology and capabilities to counter hostile state activity, and co-chaired the National Cyber Advisory Board.

Gemma has deep expertise in hybrid threats, crisis management and national security decision-making. She led cross-government coordination on counter state threats, including the development of policy, operational responses and the handling of highly sensitive casework relating to hostile state activity across cyber, physical and information domains. She has led responses to major national crises, including counter-terrorism incidents, significant cyber attacks and the Afghanistan evacuation, and played a central role in the UK government’s response to the WannaCry ransomware attack. She previously served as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister for Home Affairs and National Security.

At the National Cyber Security Centre and GCHQ, she led the development of the UK’s cyber incident response capability and cross-government cyber defence initiatives.

Her current work examines hybrid warfare, strategic competition and the role of technology inshaping state power, with a focus on resilience, deterrence and democratic security. She is activeon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-ungoed-thomas/